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Voices on a Bus

Friday, July 1, 2016

There is a little piece of ISS that will remain with all of us here in this beautiful city. As you hop on a bus that is part of our world class public transportation system, you may recognize the voices announcing each stop. The voice that announces that we should all be careful as we exit.

Just at school’s end, under the careful tutelage of our Lower school German department, the students pictured above were ushered to a studio to record all of the bus stop announcements for the “Degerloch” area. The company, SSB wanted to add an international flair to their service in recognition of our international city and thus, they asked students, with particular accents to their German to help them bring a smile to the faces of those riding the bus.

Its yet another creative and imaginative way for ISS to give back to our community. The way we try to do whenever we integrate. Ours is a school that does not believe we are an international oasis. We believe we are an essential part of our international city. So thanks to the help of our External Director, our teachers and our students, our voices are literally reminding us all that our origins are as diverse as the accents. It’s a subtle but powerful reminder that we can be different and remain committed to global perspective. It’s a reminder that children, or young people, can change the world, or at least change our direction. I like to think that as the bus pulls into a stop and our students announce the destination, that the passenger thinks to themselves, “what a nice idea. I am glad we have young people from all over the world here in Germany.” It might counteract some of the vitriol we have concerning other visitors. After all, every one of is comes from some sort of international heritage.

Sometimes all it takes is a gentle reminder that in our difference, we are all the same.